McCain fingers Schumer as media whore for ‘grandstanding’ on Ariz. immigration law

Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain defended his state’s tough immigration law and blasted New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer for grandstanding on the issue Tuesday.

“Well my position is it is a classic Schumer grandstanding use of his subcommittee,” McCain said when asked by a reporter outside his party’s policy lunch in the Capitol about Schumer’s subcommittee hearing earlier in the day on Arizona’s 2010 immigration law, SB 1070.

Schumer is chairman of the Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on immigration, refugees and border security. Other than Schumer, only one other senator on the 11-member subcommittee — Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin — reportedly showed up to Tuesday’s hearing.

“I agree with [former Kansas] Sen. [Bob] Dole who once said the most dangerous place in Washington to be is between Sen. Schumer and a television camera,” McCain added. “Of course, he never consulted me or [Arizona] Sen. [Jon] Kyl,” he joked, presumably referring to the Arizona Senate delegation’s frequent media appearances.

McCain then defended his state’s tough immigration law, which is being challenged by the Obama administration in a hearing before the Supreme Court Wednesday.

“I think 1070 was the result of the frustration that the people in my state felt that the federal government was not doing its job by securing our border and that was the reason that it happened and they were correct in that sentiment,” McCain said.

“We have a border agent killed because of Fast and Furious. We today have guides sitting on mountaintops in Arizona as drugs are smuggled up to Phoenix and distributed throughout the country. There frustration was real and understandable.”

McCain said the solution to the problem is simple: “Secure the border.”

When informed that Schumer said at his subcommittee hearing that he would introduce legislation to block SB 1070 should the Supreme Court uphold it, McCain again knocked the New York senator as a media whore.

“Well Sen. Schumer is free to do whatever he wants to do,” McCain said. “I won’t get between him and a television camera.”

McCain went on to say that he believes that America needs comprehensive immigration reform, something that he argues the Obama administration has supported rhetorically but has not followed through on.

“For a long time I’ve felt very strongly that we need to act on comprehensive immigration reform,” McCain said.

“The president had overwhelming majorities in both Houses for two years — did nothing. I went to a meeting in the White House where he pledged we’d work together on immigration reform. Never heard from him again.”